Ensilage-packer.



V. WHITFIELD.

ENSILAGE PACKER.

APlfLlcATloN man JUNE 22. 1915.

1 ,1 85,454. Patented May 30, 1916.

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v. WHITFIELD.

ENSILAGE PACKER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 22| 1915..

Patented May 3o, 1916.

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(ami/Imaam VICTOR WHITFIELD, OF OKEMAH, OKLAHOMA.

ENSILAGE-PACKER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patente-d May ao, 1916.

Application led June 22, 1915. Serial No. 35,648.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, VICTOR WHITFIELD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Okemah, in the county of Okfuskee and State of Oklahoma, have invented new and useful Improvements in Ensilage-Packers, of which the following is a specification. This invention is an improved ensilage packer for packing ensilage .as it is placed in a silo, the object of the invention being to provide an improved machine of this character which is adjustable so that it can be readily placed on the top of any ordinary silo and by means of which ensilage, as it is placed in the silo may be securely tamped or packed therein.

The invention consists in the construction, combination, and arrangement of devices hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings Figure l is an elevation of an ensilage packer constructed in accordance with my invention, showing the same arranged for use in a silo, the walls of the silo being indicated in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the same on the plane indicated by the line a-a of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view of the same on the plane indicated by the line b-b of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a detail transverse sectional view on the plane indicated by the line c-c of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a detail inverted plan of one of the packers. Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view through the beam showing a detail of the invention.

In accordance with my invention I provide a beam 1 which is adapted to be arranged across the center of a silo, at the top of the silo, and to be supported on the walls thereof. This beam is longitudinally adjustable so that it may be arranged to t on any silo. comprising a main member 2 and a pair of adjustable end members 3 each of which comprises .an angle block 4 and an arm 5, the arms being slidable in longitudinal openings 6 with which the member 2 is provided, bolts 7 being provided to secure the members 3 in any required adjusted position. A pair of supporting blocks 8 are also provided, which are notched at their lower ends as at 9 and thereby adapted to fit on the upper sides of the walls of the silo, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. Each block -8 has a vertically adjustable standard arm The beam is here shown as 10 which is secured at its upper end to one of the blocks 4 as at l1. Adjusting bolts l2 are provided to secure the arms 10, and hence the beam, in the desired adjusted position at the upper end of the silo.

A vertically arranged and removable hanging bar 13 passesthrough and is slidable in an opening at the center of the beam member 2. This bar has rack teeth 14 on one side which are engaged by a pinion 15, said pinion being on one end of a shaft 16 whichV is mounted in bearings 17 on the beam. The shaft 'also has aratchet wheel 18 which is engaged by a pawl 19. `The shaft is also provided with .a Vratchet wheel 2O and with a rocking lever 21, said rocking lever having a pawl 22 to engage the ratchet wheel 20 and a spring 23 to coact with said pawl. An operating cord 24 is attached to the upper end of the lever 2l and hence down in the silo, in reach of an .attendant in the silo and who is stationed on the top of the ensilage therein. A standard 25 eX- tends upwardly from the beam member 2. A spring 26, to move the lever 2l in one direction connects said' lstandard to said lever. The beam member 2 has a centrally arranged standard 27 .and also has a standard 28 which is at the end opposite the standard 25.

A block 29 is swivelly mounted on the lower portion of the bar 13 and a packing beam 30 which is widened at its center and provided with a substantially elliptical central opening has its opposite sides pivotally mounted on the block 29 as at 31 so that said packing beamk is adapted to be oscillated vertically as well as to swing horizontally on the bar 13 with the block 29. A pair of packers 32 are suspended from the ends of the packing beam by means of chains 33 and hooks 34. Each packer comprises a series of blocks 35. The blocks are flexibly connected together and hence are provided with mutual engaging lugs 36 and recesses 37 at their opposing sides and with pivoting bolts 38 which flexibly connect said j blocks together.

A rocking beam 39 is pivotally` centrally mounted as at 40 at the upper end of the standard 27. Chains 41 for their upper ends are adj ustably connected to the rocking beam by means of adjusting openings 42 with which said beam is provided. The lower ends of the chains are attached to 48 with the rocking beam 39.

drums 43 which are mounted near the ends of the packing beam each drum having a ratchet wheel 44 engaged by a pawl 45, and a crank 46 being provided by means of which each of the drums may be turned as required in order to let out or wind up the chains 41 as may be required in the adjustment and operation of the machine.

An operating lever 46 is pivotally mounted as at 47 at the upper end of the standard 28 and has its inner end connected by a link A power rod 49 which is arranged outside of the silo has its upper end attached to the outer end of the lever 46 as at 50 and has its lower end connected to a crank pin 51 on the power wheel 52 of any suitable motor.

When the motor is in operation the lever 46 is rocked so that corresponding motion is imparted to the lever 39. The chains 41. Which connect the lever 39 to the packing beam 30 cause the latter to also rock vertically so that the packers are alternately raised from and dropped on the ensilage as it is placed in the silo, thereby efectually packing the same. The attendant in the silo by swinging the packing beam can cause the same to turn with the block 29 as required to operate the packers at all points on the surface of the ensilage. By turning the shaft 16, by means of the lever 21, ratchet wheel 2O and pawl 22, the pinion 15 may be caused to coact with the rack teeth of the bar 13 to raise the latter romvtime to time as the packing proceeds and as new material is placed in the silo.

Having thus described my invention I claim:-

1. An ensilage packer comprising a supporting frame'to be mounted on a silo, a hanging bar depending from said frame, means to vertically adjust said hanging bar, a packing beam carried by the hanging bar, packers suspended from the packing beam, and meansv to impart vertical oscillating motion to the packing beam, said means being arranged on and carried by said frame.

2. A beam to be mounted across a silo, a hanging bar vertically adjustable on said beam and having rack teeth, a pinion mounted on the beam and engaging said rack teeth, pawl and ratchet mechanism to operate said pinion and thereby raise or lower said hanging bar, a block revoluble on the lower end of said hanging bar, a packing beam pivotally mounted -on said block for vertical oscillating motion, packers suspended from the ends of the packing beam, a rocking beam mounted on first named beam, connections between the rocking beam and the packing beam to oscilla-te the latter and vertically adjustable to correspond with the adjustment of the hanging bar and an operating lever for the rocking beam and mounted on the first named beam.

In testimony whereof I afl'iX my signature in presence or two witnesses.

VICTOR WHITFIELD.

Vilitnesses:

V. K. CHOWNING, B. S. WHITFIELD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

